A panning gong introduces "Birds of Fire." A delicate and slightly distorted guitar plays a gentle but otherworldly arpeggio. Jerry Goodman's violin introduces the main theme, which seems quite simple at first. He is quickly doubled by McLaughlin's guitar. The intensity of the piece picks up appreciably as McLaughlin and Jan Hammer take burning solo turns over the melody's repeating mantra like riffs which have now become more intricate and spellbinding. The guitar, Moog and violin then play out the piece in a blissful unison.